The Utah Department of Transportation’s (UDOT) new and expanded Cottonwood Maintenance Complex near Salt Lake City was officially opened March 2018. PENETRON crystalline technology provides the crucial protection concrete needs to resist the aggressive, chloride-rich environment of the maintenance station.

Located in Holladay, Utah, about 30 minutes south of Salt Lake City, the new Cottonwood Maintenance Complex includes a 23,400 square-foot (2,170 m2) maintenance building (a maintenance bay, 12 truck bays, and eight storage bays), a concrete retention pond, a concrete pump house, and a brine mixing vault.

An Aggressive Environment for Concrete

“The Utah Department of Transportation uses the new Cottonwood complex to store road salt, mix the brine solution to spray on roads, and maintain the all road equipment for the region, such as the salt trucks and plows,” adds Christopher Chen, Director of The Penetron Group. “Obviously, this creates an extremely aggressive environment for any untreated concrete structures.”

The Cottonwood project architect was aware of the importance of a very durable concrete mix for this project. Replacing a competitive admixture that was originally specified, they opted for PENETRON ADMIX, an integral crystalline admixture, at the request of Geneva Rock, the ready-mix supplier for the project.

Significantly Reducing Chloride Penetration

For comprehensive protection against concrete deterioration from chemical attack, freeze-thaw cycles and corrosion, PENETRON ADMIX is added to the concrete mix during batching. As a permeability-reducing concrete admixture, it can significantly increase concrete durability and service life by markedly enhancing low permeability, low shrinkage and self-healing capabilities. These features help concrete resist chemical attacks and significantly reduce the chloride penetration and carbonation of the concrete matrix commonly encountered at the UDOT maintenance stations. Ultimately, the waterproofing properties of the admixture will help prevent corrosion of the steel rebar imbedded in the concrete, as well.

Geneva Rock treated about 5,000 cubic yards (3,820 m3) of concrete, which was used to waterproof the basement structures of the maintenance and the concrete pump house buildings, the concrete retention pond, and the brine mixing vault.

“The PENETRON crystalline technology was successfully applied throughout the new Cottonwood station,” adds Mr. Chen. “Our next job is UDOT’s new Snowville maintenance station on the Utah-Idaho border. Construction started last week.”